The Oath of Sekhmet: Mistress of Destruction
by Dani Zatara
Summary: An ancient tomb protected by an unbreakable promise is uncovered by a group of university students. The O'Connell family is called in to save the world once again, with the help of old friends and some new ones as well. Ardeth/OC
1. Chapter One

_Author's Note: Alright, so this story is set after The Mummy Returns. It will feature the O'Connells and all our favourite characters. I do not own the Mummy or any such thing. However, the original characters are mine and I'd love to get feedback on them; mostly Vivienne as she does play a large role in this story. That's about all I have to say. I hope you enjoy reading this and please review when you're finished. _

_/Dani/ _

**The Oath of Sekhmet; Mistress of Destruction **

_Chapter One_

The sun was beating down harshly on Peter's back, making him wonder if it were possible to contract sunburn through the light cotton shirt he wore. Wiping his sweaty brow, Peter wondered why he had ever signed up for this ridiculous trip. Extra credit in Lambert's class aside, this was a stupid idea. It wasn't like a bunch of amateur student archaeologists were going to find anything. Peter heard a cough break the near-death silence of the excavation site and sharply looked to his left. Marianne Martin, the prettiest girl in the entire world, was covering her mouth politely while she nearly coughed up a lung. Peter tossed his shovel aside and approached the vivacious Irish girl.

"You alright sunshine?" he asked, trying to inconspicuously smooth his hair back. Marianne cleared her throat deeply and nodded appreciatively. She straightened out the sunhat that had become askew on the top of her curls.

"I've started to detest the sand," she mumbled, throwing her pick to the side and taking a sip out of her water flask. "Darn, nearly empty. I hope we get to turn in soon."

"Same," Peter nodded, "But if you need any more water, you can have some of mine." He pulled his own flask from his belt and handed it to her. Marianne smiled sweetly but shook her head.

"I'm not that desperate," she giggled. Peter's shoulders slumped at her words and for a moment Marianne looked confused. Then, the fact of what she had said seemed to sink in. "Oh, Pete," she laughed, "I didn't mean like that. I just don't want to see you dehydrate to death." The two laughed at the misunderstanding, their laughter eventually subsiding back into the deep silence that was the norm on the dig site. Marianne sighed and lay back, placing her head in Peter's lap. She was thankful that he had signed up for this dumb trip as well. In her opinion, Egypt was too hot. She missed the cool rainy days in London. Not to mention, there were far too many foreign bugs for her liking here. In the last hour she had managed to dig into the paths of four scorpions. Marianne felt Peter's strong hands running through her hair and couldn't help but to smile. She secretly found him very attractive and hoped that they would be able to get some alone time one night, just so she'd have an interesting story to tell the girls back home.

"Professor Lambert! Professor Wright! Come quick, I think I've found something!" The calming silence was broken by a boy's gleeful shouts. Marianne sat bolt upright and looked in the direction that everyone was running in. She quickly got to her feet and held out her hand to pull Peter to his.

"Come on," she urged, "I want to see what's going on." Peter looked annoyed, but stood up anyways and the two merged with the group of running students until they reached a boy with dark hair who stood looking at the ground with great pride.

"Excuse me, careful there, nobody touch anything." Marianne felt someone pushing through the crowd and turned to see the excited faces of her Professors, Vivienne Lambert and James Wright. Professor Wright had been the one shouting the orders and doing the pushing, while Professor Lambert just followed behind, carrying a bag full of tools and rolling her eyes. Admittedly, when Marianne had first started at Oxford she had heard rumours that the two were secretly bedding each other, but after her first day in Lambert's class on Ancient Greece, Marianne knew that the rumours held absolutely no truth. She was quite certain that Lambert hated Wright, and with good reason too. He was a pompous man who knew how attractive he was and wasn't afraid to boast his good looks. However, they did work well together when it came to unearthing history; both were focused and determined; at least when to came to proving themselves better than the other.

"Vivienne, what has young Charlie here discovered?" Wright stood in the middle of the crowd with the dark haired boy at his side while Vivienne was examining the area of ground he had been all excited over. Marianne craned her neck for a better view and saw that underneath the sand was a solid object that was something other than dirt. To Marianne, with her limited knowledge of geology, it appeared to be limestone. And she definitely didn't need to be a geologist to see that there were carvings in the stone.

"This is interesting," Professor Lambert mumbled, mostly to herself as she dusted away the sand from the carvings. She toiled away, making the dig look effortless and in less than ten minutes, had a four by four square of limestone engravings. "This is definitely interesting."

"Can you decipher what it says?" Wright asked, watching with greedy eyes as Lambert placed her tools back in her bag, shaking her head. His expression fell at her answer.

"I'm not very good when it comes to Egyptian," she said, "We've only just begun offering it at the University and this is my first expedition here." She flicked a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Perhaps I'll ride into town and see if I can find someone to help us."

"Yes, yes very well," Wright sighed, "Everyone else, take a break." The crowd began to disperse as everyone went their own separate ways. Marianne took one last look at the limestone patch before hurrying to catch up with Peter, hoping they could spend some more quality time together. Soon, it was just James and Vivienne standing over their student's discovery.

"How long do you think it'll take you to find help?" James questioned. Vivienne inhaled deeply, her eyes fixated on the tiny square she had just dug up. Her eyes were narrowed and full of concern. James knew there was something wrong with his colleague. He took a step forward.

"Are you alright Vivienne?"

"I'm not going to find someone," Vivienne said, shaking her head in response to James' question, "We're not digging this tomb up."

"What are you talking about?" James hissed, making Vivienne's shoulders tense with anger. "This is the big break we've been waiting for Viv and you're going to give it up? What's gotten into you?"

"I lied James," she confessed, "I lied about not being able to read the inscription."

"What? Why?" James was looking at Vivienne with genuinely confused eyes. His companion wiped sweat from the bridge of her nose with shaky hands.

"It's cursed," she replied, smoothing out her shirt, "I don't know who the tomb belongs to but I do know that it's cursed. We can't go in there."

"Are you kidding me?" James laughed heartily at Vivienne's reasoning, "You're actually buying into this curse nonsense. You're going to give up the find of a lifetime over some silly Egyptian myth?"

"James, please…" Vivienne's voice was pleading.

"What did it say?" he cut her off harshly.

"Excuse me?"

"What did the inscription say?" James asked with a hard tone. Vivienne looked down at the limestone square once more, reading over the hieroglyphics, making sure she had not made an error in her first translation. No, no, she was sure of it.

"He who rests here protected during his life and will be protected in his death. Doom to those…and well, it ends there."

"Ridiculous," James huffed, "We have to continue to excavate."

"Please don't," Vivienne urged him, "We can't put the students in such danger. There are probably booby traps in there. Someone could get very badly hurt." Silence fell over the pair as James looked out over their campsite, his eyes resting briefly on every student. As difficult as he made his classes, he certainly loved being a teacher and his students were important to him.

"Very well," he said finally, "We'll dig somewhere else. There's bound to be some artefacts buried around here somewhere."

"Definitely," Vivienne nodded enthusiastically.

"Do me a favour though, will you?"

"Of course."

"Would you mind riding into Cairo and doing a little bit of research on whose tomb this could possibly be?"

"Not at all," Vivienne smiled, "I'll be back in a few days. Good luck and keep safe." She and James shook hands before she walked over to where their group kept the camels tethered. She found hers and hopped on, urging him away from the dig site. Vivienne rode for a few minutes before she stopped and looked back at her students, all relaxing and laughing in the shadows between the Great Sphinx and the monstrous pyramid of the Pharaoh Khafra. A pulse of fear passed through her body, but was quickly forgotten as she continued on her way to Cairo. Of course, the great city was not her final destination. She knew she was supposed to be doing research on whose tomb they had unearthed and she would certainly do so, but the information she needed was a little further away than Cairo. She was sure that no one would miss her being gone a few extra days. Now, all she needed was an airplane.

_--x_

_So, what did you think? Please review! Constructive criticism is welcome._


	2. Chapter Two

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter, and just to clear things up, this story is set in 1936, roughly three years after The Mummy Returns. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it…_

_/Dani/ _

**Chapter Two**

Evelyn O'Connell locked up the last of her filing cabinets and walked to the door of her office. She quickly scanned the room once more, making sure everything was in place before closing the lights and shutting the door. She fished through her numerous keys to find the one that would lock her office for the night. Once she found it, she secured her personal bureau and wiggled the doorknob a few times, just to be certain. Satisfied, Evy looped her keys onto her belt and walked towards the exit of the museum. On her way out, she passed Nigel, the head night watchman. He tipped his hat in her direction like a proper gentleman.

"Goodnight Mrs O'Connell," he waved at her.

"Goodnight Nigel," she waved back, "I'll see you nice and early tomorrow morning." With another tip of his hat, Nigel walked off, continuing to patrol the halls of the museum; the museum that Evy was now proud curator of. She had hardly been able to believe the fact that she had received the job after her return from Egypt some three years ago. Evelyn O'Connell, curator of the British Museum. Yes, the title was nice and she quite enjoyed the job. However, there was one negative factor of her work, and that was the hours she spent away from her family. She wasn't worried that they couldn't survive without her as Rick and Alex were more than competent to take care of themselves, not to mention her brother Jonathan. She was simply afraid that she would miss something important, for example Alex growing up into a fine young man. After having a run-in with death on her last adventure, Evy had grown to be even more protective of the men in her life, never wanting to let them go. Still, she had not found the balance between family and work to be too out of synch yet and she was hopeful that the two aspects of her life would remain balanced for much longer.

Pushing open the door to the museum's staff entrance, Evy was met with a cool wave of fresh air, quite a relief from the stale air she breathed all day around the artefacts. Of course she loved looking at them, but after a while she had seen them all a hundred times and her heart ached for something new, something she could discover on her own. Evy shook the thought of adventure out of her head and hurried down the steps, the darkness of the night scaring her slightly. As she walked briskly through the near-empty parking lot, Evy couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that she was being watched. Checking over both her shoulders, she saw no one and drew the conclusion that she was being overly paranoid. However, just in case, she picked up her pace and nearly jogged the last few steps to her car, getting in and starting it right away.

The O'Connell mansion was not tremendously far from the museum; no more than ten minutes. No matter how short a ride though, Evy could not shake her feeling of uneasiness as she drove through the streets of London, constantly checking her rear-view mirrors. She saw nothing other than cars, all of which looked perfectly normal to her. With a sigh, Evy pulled into her driveway and hurried inside. Once in the entrance hall, Evy kicked off her shoes and looked around. Everything seemed normal, but it was so quiet. It was almost unsettling. Grabbing an umbrella from the stand by the door, Evy began to tip-toe down the hall.

"Rick?" she called out softly, "Alex? Jonathan?" There was no answer from any three of the men. Evy continued to move down the hall slowly, hearing a low grunting noise coming from the living room. Taking a deep breath, Evy launched herself into the living room with a fierce cry. She succeeded in surprising the man who had been snoring peacefully on the couch.

"Evy!" Jonathan cried out. He jumped up, completely startled out of sleep and looked at his sister with shock, "Are you trying to scare me to death?" Evy looked at her brother, the wildness in her eyes slowly fading to apology. She gave a little chuckle, which caused Jonathan to raise an eyebrow at her.

"You've gone insane," he stated matter-of-factly, "It's time we had you committed."

"Oh shush Jonathan," Evy smacked her brother on the shoulder playfully, "I'm so sorry for waking you. I thought that someone was in here."

"Someone was," Jonathan retorted, "And you greatly disturbed his sleep."

"I'm sorry," Evy repeated, "Are Rick and Alex anywhere around?"

"Last I saw of them, Rick was headed upstairs to read Alex a bedtime story."

"Thanks Jonathan," Evy smiled at her brother, "Now try to get back to sleep." She turned away from him and made a quick exit from the living room, hearing Jonathan mumble something about hoping insanity doesn't run in the family. Evy, a little more at ease now, casually walked up the stairs, mentally scolding herself for being ridiculous. She had climbed halfway up the great staircase before bumping into someone on their way down.

"Nice umbrella."

"Oh Rick," Evy laughed at her husband's confused expression and launched herself into his arms. He caught her in a dazzling kiss. When the two broke apart, Rick stared fondly at his wife, wiping a stray curl away from her beautiful eyes. He looked at her for a moment longer before decided that there was something bothering her. He could tell.

"What's on your mind?" he asked. Evy sighed heavily as she ran her fingers across his chest. Rick looked down at her expectantly.

"How about some hot cocoa?" Evy suggested, "I feel like some."

"Okay," Rick grasped his wife's hand tightly, "We'll get some cocoa, but first tell me what's bothering you."

"Well, I've been having this feeling," Evy bit her lip in frustration, "Ever since I left the museum I've been feeling like someone is following me. It's ridiculous though. I nearly scared Jonathan half to…" Evy's words were cut off by the shrill ringing of the doorbell. She and Rick exchanged quick glances.

"Maybe it's not so ridiculous," she whispered.

"Stay here," Rick instructed before he bounded back up the stairs. Evy had a sneaking suspicion as to where he was going. She waited quietly for him on the steps for just a moment. Then he was back at her side, a gun in his hand. Together, and silently, the couple crept to the front door. Evy grabbed the doorknob and Rick readied his pistol. He held his hand up to Evy and began to count with his fingers. _One…Two…Three!_

Evy opened the door wide and Rick leaped at the late night visitor. The two went down with a bang and what sounded like a very female scream. Evy stuck her head out the door to see what the commotion was. Rick was holding out his hand to the woman he had apparently just flattened; a pretty blonde woman, possibly nearing forty, with pale skin and wide eyes, although Evy was sure that was simply because of the shock.

"I'm sorry Ma'am," Rick said with embarrassment as the woman took his hand and pulled herself to her feet.

"Do you greet all your guests this way?" she asked indignantly. Evy noticed a slight trace of a French accent in her voice.

"When they visit this late, pretty much," Rick replied with a smirk. The woman shook her head slightly and proceeded to dust off the grey slacks that had been wrinkled in her fall.

"Can we help you with something?" Evy asked uncertainly. Had this woman been following her all night, causing her deep unrest? Although Evy certainly doubted it, she was reluctant to let go of the notion. Still, a visitor did call for hospitality. The blonde woman looked at Evy and her eyes lit up, as though a huge weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.

"Evelyn O'Connell?" her tone was questioning, yet mild, as though afraid the answer would be no.

"Yes, that's me," Evy nodded politely, "And who, may I ask, are you?"

"Professor Vivienne Lambert," the woman stuck her hand out to Evy, "Ancient History at Oxford University." Evy took her hand and shook it, wondering what on Earth an Oxford professor was doing on her doorstep at this hour. As if reading her mind, Vivienne took a bold step forward.

"I'm in need of your help Mrs O'Connell," she confessed, "Perhaps we could speak inside?"

_--x_

_Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review. Cheers! _


	3. Chapter Three

_Okay, so I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter, which kind of bums me out. If you're reading this and not liking it, please tell me what to improve on. On the other hand, if you do like it please let me know so that I will continue. It feels pointless to continue if I don't know what people think of the story. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Please enjoy it and please review when you're finished reading. Thanks._

_/Dani/_

**Chapter Three**

Sitting in the kitchen of the O'Connell house with a steaming mug of hot cocoa in her hands, Vivienne felt at ease for the first time in days. She took a sip of the boiling liquid before casting a long glance around the room, studying each of the occupants. Evelyn stood leaning against the kitchen counter, her own mug of cocoa held thoughtfully against her pursed lips. Beside Evelyn was the man who had attacked her on the porch; the man whom Evie had introduced as her husband Rick. Standing at the doorway, looking half asleep was another man who had not been introduced to Vivienne, but had stalked into the kitchen upon her arrival, demanding what all the ruckus was about. He had not left since. With a sigh, Vivienne placed her mug down on the table, her focus returning to the other woman in the room. Evie noticed this and returned Vivienne's stare in an almost harsh manner.

"Perhaps I should start at the beginning," Vivienne suggested with an almost apologetic smile.

"Yes," Evie nodded, "The beginning would be lovely."

"As I said," Vivienne began, "I'm a professor of Ancient History at Oxford. Every year I provide my students with an opportunity to do some fieldwork, see amazing things they may never get the chance to see again. A colleague of mine, Professor James Wright, assists me in the organization of these events…"

"Events?" Evelyn asked, "What sort of events?"

"You see, Professor Wright specializes in archaeology and each year we organize a dig for a group of twenty-odd students to attend. They receive extra credit and wellsprings of experience. Personally, I prefer digging in Italy. I've been bringing students to Pompeii for years. However, this year, Professor Wright managed to talk me into doing something totally out of the ordinary…"

"Let me guess," interrupted Rick, "Egypt?" Vivienne nodded, noting that his tone was very sarcastic. She found herself unsurprised though, remembering why she had come all the way to London to speak with this family.

"Egypt?" the man in doorway, who now looked fully awake, echoed Rick, "Did you find any treasure?"

"Oh goodness, Jonathan," Evie rolled her eyes, "Are you ever going to grow up?" With a look back at Vivienne, Evie smiled politely, "This is my brother Jonathan," she pointed at the man, "He's absolutely impossible."

"Well I see you've gotten your manners back," Jonathan commented, "For the most part anyways."

"We're trying to have a serious conversation Jonathan," Evie said in a deadpan tone. She turned back to their quiet guest, "Please continue Professor."

"Right," Vivienne chuckled slightly, "We were in Egypt, in fact my students and Professor Wright are still there. And to answer your question sir, we didn't find any treasure."

"Then what brings you here?" Rick asked, "You must've found something if you've come all the way to London yourself."

"Not to mention almost stalking me," Evie added, "That was you, wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid it was," Vivienne blushed, "I'm terribly sorry, but I was unsure of how to approach you."

"So you did find something?" Rick insisted. Vivienne nodded solemnly.

"We were digging by the base of the Sphinx when one of our students uncovered what looked to be some part of a tomb."

"What makes you say that?" Evie asked excitedly, her eyes were lit up with a sense of adventure.

"There was an inscription," Vivienne informed her, "It spoke of the man who rested there being protected in his death. I wanted to know if you had any idea whose tomb it was." As she spoke, Vivienne watched Evie's reaction with careful eyes. She could practically see the gears turning in the curator's mind and knew she had come to the right place.

"There are dozens of scholars in Egypt," Rick said, "Why couldn't you have asked one of them for help?"

"Because," Vivienne mumbled, hoping she would not sound foolish, "I've heard the stories of you and your wife; about your great bravery with slaying living mummies. I almost find it hard to believe, but I think it's better to be safe rather than sorry."

"What's that…?" Rick began, but was cut off by the excited voice of his wife.

"It could be anyone," Evie announced, "There are hundreds of undiscovered tombs of Pharaohs recorded throughout history. I'd have to see it to be sure."

"Whoa," Rick grabbed Evie's shoulders, "What do you mean you'd 'have to see it?'"

"I mean," Evie spoke slowly, as if talking to a small child, "We're going to Egypt. Now hurry and pack your bags. Oh, I have to tell Joseph he has to take over the museum for a few weeks. That shouldn't be a problem…" She paused for a moment, her eyes falling on Rick, who had not moved from his position against the counter. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Evie," Rick looked at his wife in disbelief, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course," Evie insisted, "The museum is beginning to get dull. I think a nice bit of adventure is just what I need. Now, please go pack up. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning." With a shake of his head, Rick walked out of the room, passing Jonathan, who looked positively loopy with happiness.

"This is an excellent idea ol'mum," he smiled, walking to his sister with a little bounce in his step, "I can barely wait to be back…"

"Excuse me?" Evie cut him off, "But I don't think you should join us." Jonathan stopped dead in his tracks, his face crestfallen and the fire in his eyes put out. Evie drew her lips together.

"It's not that I don't want you to come Jonathan," she told him, patting his shoulder gently, "But I need someone to stay behind and watch over Alex. I'm not putting him in any more danger than he's already been in."

"But Evie," Jonathan began. His sister shook her head resiliently.

"Please Jonathan," she pleaded. Jonathan let a deep breath out through his nostrils. He didn't feel like playing nanny and being denied adventure, but he would do absolutely anything for his sister, including sitting out of a chance for greater wealth. Vivienne, who had been sitting quietly throughout the entire exchange, thanking God for her good luck, had an idea strike her. The way they spoke of him, she assumed that Alex was a child as she cleared her throat in an attempt to gain attention. Evie and Jonathan both looked at her inquisitively.

"I'm sure that once we arrive in Egypt one of my students would be more than happy to take Alex into town and keep him entertained for a few days time." There was silence after Vivienne's suggestion, during which all eyes were focused hopefully on Evie. After what seemed like ages, the Englishwoman finally nodded her head, much to the pleasure of her brother, who gave a gleeful shout and hugged her tightly.

"Yes, yes Jonathan," Evie chuckled at her brother's antics, "Now can you take Vivienne up to the guest room. I have to go help Rick pack."

_--x_

All night, Vivienne lay awake in bed, unable to sleep. She couldn't comprehend why. Her mind was relatively at ease now that she had found the O'Connells and had them agreeing to help her. Still, there was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she could not ignore as she tossed and turned for what felt like hours on end.

Unbeknownst to her, hundreds of miles away and against her better judgement, two ancient evils were awakened on separate ends of the Egyptian desert, one with fierce eyes as red as blood and the other with eyes as piercing green as emeralds.

_--x_

_Okay, so not the best chapter, I have to admit. In fact, I didn't like it much at all. I'm sorry if it was boring; I'm simply trying to get into the swing of the actual story. There will be more action and such in the chapters to come. Please don't forget to review…_


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"We'll need to refresh on supplies before we can even think of heading into the desert," Evie told the group as they as they walked down the streets of Cairo, passing street vendors and noisy bars. "We'll need water, and snacks and we'll need a way to get to the pyramids and maybe we should…"

"Maybe," Rick placed a finger over Evie's lips to silence her, "We should get some dinner before we head out on our big adventure."

"That's a brilliant idea," Evie's face lit up, "We'll have to split up if we want to get started before sunset."

"We could always start tomorrow," Rick suggested.

"Nonsense," Evie insisted, "We've already wasted a day. And I'm quite sure Professor Lambert wants to get back to her group. Don't you Professor?"

"I have been gone for quite some time," Vivienne nodded, "And please, don't feel obligated to call me professor."

"Fine," Rick said with a slight grumpiness creeping into his voice, "We'll split up. Alex and I will go get water and some camels or horses. Evie, you take Jon and Vivienne to find dinner for tonight and snacks. Fair?"

"Fair," Evie and Jonathan replied simultaneously while Vivienne simply nodded her agreement.

"We'll meet back here in an hour," Evie told Rick before placing a soft kiss on his lips and giving Alex a big hug, "Be careful you two. She watched as Alex and Rick headed across the street, unable to shake the feeling that she should be worried about them.

"Where to first ol'mum?" Jonathan asked, breaking Evie's reverie. She turned back to her companions with a smile on her face, not at all betraying what she really felt. Evie knew this part of town quite well and remembered this wonderful little restaurant she used to eat at. Their menu was the most divine selection of authentic European food; something that Evie knew would please everyone.

"I know the perfect place," Evie announced, "It's around the block, but there's a little shortcut we can take. Follow me." She led the group down the street, past a few more buildings before stopping in front of a dimly lit alley. Peering down the alley, Evie could see where it met the next block. She could see her restaurant from here, with the bright lights and chatting people sitting outside. "Well, come on," she started into the alley, motioning for her brother and Vivienne to follow. Admittedly, Jonathan was a little sceptical. In all his years in Egypt, he had run into some trouble in the alleyways. Still, he had been rather intoxicated and deep in debt those days, so maybe there was nothing to worry about. And besides, Evie was already halfway down the alley, Vivienne not far behind her. Jonathan hurried to catch up to the women. He had taken no more than ten steps before a strong hand came down on his shoulder. Jonathan let out a startled cry before he was shoved against the wall, coming face to face with his attacker, or rather attackers. The man pinning him against the wall was a large, burly man and he wore a mask to hide his face, as did the other, slightly smaller man, who was pointing a rather menacing knife at Evie and Vivienne, who had stopped and turned at Jonathan's cry.

"What's a little worm like you doing with two pretty ladies like this," the larger man asked Jonathan. His breath reeked of strong gin and a mixture of other alcohols, nearly making Jonathan gag. The fact that the man had his elbow digging into his gut didn't help much either. With one forceful thrust, the man threw Jonathan to the floor and kicked him in the stomach. Jonathan heard Evie scream, only to be threatened in harsh words by the smaller man with the knife. Jonathan sincerely hoped he would not use the weapon on his sister, nor Vivienne for that matter. With another sharp kick the man began to talk to Jonathan once again.

"I hope you don't mind that I'll be taking these pretty ladies off your hands." Jonathan moved to get up, but felt cool metal against his neck. He knew there was a blade there and he knew this man would use it. Closing his eyes, Jonathan waited for the pain to come. Instead, there was a loud crack that Jonathan recognized to be a gunshot, followed by shouting in Arabic and screaming from women. Another gunshot rang out and Jonathan covered his head with his arms, hoping that the shooter was on his side. He peeked out through his fingers to see Evie and Vivienne crouched low, but seemingly unharmed. That was very good.

"Is everyone alright?"

Jonathan recognized the deep voice that had posed the question. He watched as Evie and Vivienne both stood, Evie running to their saviour and Vivienne stopping to help Jonathan stand, which he could not do without wincing in great pain. As soon as he was standing, Jonathan's eyes met with the eyes of the man who had saved his life.

"Ardeth, old friend," he smiled as best as he could through the pain still ripe in his abdomen, "I believe a thanks is in order." Ardeth, who stood a few feet from the opening of the alleyway beside Evie simply smiled as he placed his pistol back on his waistband.

"No need to thank me friend," he replied, "Just know that Allah was watching over you tonight."

"Oh Ardeth," Evie hugged the Med-Jai once more, "Thank you so much. I was terrified. How did you know we were here?"

"I did not," Ardeth answered, "I simply saw the scuffle and decided to intervene. I did not realize it was you until after the thieves fled. You and your brother simply can not stay out of trouble, can you?"

"I'm afraid not," Evie grinned.

"And now, I find myself wondering," Ardeth continued, "Have you found yourself a wife Jonathan?" He gestured his hand towards Vivienne, "She is truly lovely." Vivienne felt herself blush at the compliment. She quickly looked down to the stone street so that her cheeks would not betray her. Truthfully, this man was quite handsome.

"Who?" Jonathan chuckled, "Vivienne? No, I'm afraid not Ardeth. She's on a dig down in Giza and came to London asking for the help of the brave O'Connells…and myself."

"Ah," Ardeth stepped up to them and took Vivienne's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Vivienne smiled as Ardeth placed a gentlemanly kiss on the top of her hand.

Now," Ardeth said, still brushing his fingertips against Vivienne's, "Where are the rest of the O'Connells?"

"Gathering some supplies," Evie answered, "We're heading out into the desert tomorrow."

"Yes," Jonathan nodded, "But I must ask what brings you all the way out here Ardeth?" The Med-Jai looked thoughtfully at the group, his gaze lingering on Vivienne as though he were trying to decide whether or not to trust her.

"You see," Ardeth began; inner battle apparently over, "Imhotep, both his body and his soul, have been banished to the Underworld. He no longer poses any type of threat, leaving my people with no set task. Still, we patrol the desert, watching for trouble, mostly keeping ancient tombs safe from grave-robbers. However, I recently received word that the tomb of Khafra has been uncovered and opened."

"Khafra," Evie cut in, "Isn't there a legend that says he bound Sekhmet to protect him in death?"

"It is no legend," Ardeth shook his head solemnly; "By opening the tomb of Khafra, the goddess Sekhmet has been reawakened. She will destroy any who enter the tomb, until she is released from her oath." Evie opened her mouth, curious to ask how one would release Sekhmet from her oath, but Vivienne spoke first, her voice shaking with fright.

"Where was the tomb uncovered?"

"In the shadows of the Sphinx…" Ardeth answered. Vivienne suddenly found her chest to be very heavy and breathing became a difficult task. She felt as though she was going to faint. Ardeth slung her arm over his shoulder, attempting to support her close to limp body.

"Vivienne," Jonathan's tone was worried, "What's the matter?"

"That's it," Vivienne said in barely more than a whisper, "That's the place. I told James not to dig, I told him to stop. He didn't listen. We have to go now."

"What?" Evie and Jonathan questioned.

"We have to go now," Vivienne repeated, "Khafra's tomb…that's where we were digging."

"This is not good," Jonathan stated, earning a glare from Evie.

"Come on," Evie began to run back through the alley, completely forgetting about the restaurant, "We have to find Rick." The four friends ran back through the alley and wove their way through the dissipating crowds. Evie was continuously calling out for Rick and Alex, but it was Ardeth who spotted them first.

"There," he shouted, pointing to a small stable where Rick was saddling up three horses. He looked up to see a group of sweaty and stressed looking people heading towards him and raised his eyebrows. However, when he saw Ardeth his face cracked into a smile.

"Ardeth, buddy," Rick waved, "I thought I recognized that horse." Rick pointed over to a stallion tethered just inside the stable doors, "What brings you all the way out to Cairo?"

"No time to explain," Ardeth said as he untied his horse and jumped into the saddle, "We have to make haste to the Great Sphinx."

"Evie," Rick said in an unsure voice, "Don't tell me we have Imhotep problems again?"

"No, nothing of the sort," Evie assured her husband as she jumped onto a horse, "Alex, double up with Uncle Jonathan." Jonathan helped Alex onto a horse and then jumped up himself. Vivienne got onto the third horse and Rick doubled up behind Evie. Without another word, the five horses took off at lightning speed.

"So what did you get to eat?" Rick said into Evie's ear.

"Now is hardly the time to be thinking of food," Evie replied.

_--x_

The group of rushed travellers arrived in Giza late that night and Vivienne nearly choked at what she saw. The door to the tomb she had specifically instructed not to be dug up was completely exposed, but sealed tight. Vivienne jumped off her horse, completely forgetting everyone she was with, and began to look around the campsite. It seemed completely normal, equipment scattered all over the place and tents in a tight circle just to the left of the dig. The only thing missing was the people. Vivienne crept over to a tent and peeked inside. There was no one.

"James?" she called out in desperation, "James? Charlie? Lucy? Anybody?" When she received no answer, Vivienne fell to her knees in the sand. What had happened here? She felt a careful hand rest on her shoulder and looked up to see Evie and Alex standing next to her.

"They're all gone," Vivienne whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's alright," Evie kneeled down beside her, "We'll fix this."

"Mum," Alex tugged on Evie's sleeve, "Take a look at that." He pointed off into the distance and Evie followed his gaze. She couldn't exactly see what it was, but she did see a blob of light, almost like a lantern, rapidly heading towards them.

_--x_

_Reviews are appreciated._


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